Government Workers Earn $12 MORE Per Hour Than Their Private Counterparts

Government jobs may not sound lucrative, but state and local government employees make $12 more per hour than private workers, according to a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Comparing total compensation - wages plus benefits - the average private sector worker makes $27.73 per hour, compared to $39.81 for the average government worker.

Unsurprisingly, the bulk of the government worker's compensation comes from benefits like paid leave, insurance and retirement. Governments pay an average of $3.16 per hour for its employees' retirement and savings plans, compared to 96 cents for private workers. Meanwhile the government spends $4.52 an hour for its employees' health insurance, compared to a measly $2.08 for private workers.

The thin silver lining for private industry peons is that you can actually touch (and spend) a greater chunk of your total compensation than public servants. After all, 70.6% of a private worker's compensation is in the form of wages and salaries, compared to only 65.9% for government employees.